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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	day_n	keep_v	sabbath_n	8,292	5	9.9626	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09999	The saints daily exercise A treatise concerning the whole dutie of prayer. Delivered in fiue sermons vpon I Thess. 5.17. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1629 (1629)	STC 20251; ESTC S105990	87,396	182

and meaner gifts may serue for the discharge of some operations of some services for the Church as well as greater And therefore as there are variety of functions so there are variety of members some stronger some weaker and the weaker may serue in some cases as well as the stronger a little barke may doe better in a small river then a greater ship so a man that hath but meane gifts may serue meane capacities as well as greater and better and therefore thinke not that things are denied when the thing is granted not in such a measure And lastly to bee faithfull in a little gift will bring as great a reward as to be faithfull in greater thou hast beene faithfull in little may make a man ruler over much and may bring a great increase of the talents after Therefore let not a man be discouraged if he haue not so great a measure as others haue so likewise if a man desire patience and strength to goe through all variety of conditions through all the troubles hee meetes with sometimes the Lord layes a great burthen vpon a mans shoulders and giues him great strength to beare it sometimes againe he giues but a little strength but then hee proportions the burthen to it and is it not all one whether the burthen be great and the strength answerable or the burthen be lesse and the strength little sometimes he takes away calamity sometimes he layes it vpon a man and giues him as much strength as will beare it and that is as good as if it were removed else what is the meaning of that you shall haue an hundred fold with persecution but that you shall haue so much ioy and strength in persecution that it shall be all one as if you wanted it so we see Heb. 5. 7. when Christ prayed for deliverance in that great houre of triall the text saith he was heard in the things hee feared and yet we see the cup did not passe from him because hee was strengthened to beare it and so it is in this case and so much shall serue for a full answere to that that we be not mistaken in iudging our prayers not to be heard when they are heard And now Beloved what remaines but that we set out selues to the duty to doe that we are exhorted vnto here namely to pray continually that is to pray very much to keepe at least a constant course in it for if we doe neglect it we doe but ●…ob God of his mercies wee take them without his leaue Againe we are guilty of the sin of vnthankfulnesse for we ought to giue thankes in all things againe we neglect his worship for you know prayer is a part of his worship and the neglect of it from day to day or at any time when we omit it is a neglect of that worship and seruice we owe vnto him Againe we suffer sin ●…o lie vnforgiven which is very dangerous we depriue our selues o●… blessings and bring a curse vpon our selues and we suffer our hearts to grow hard and to be distempered for from our neglect of prayer comes that deadnesse of spirit that worldly-mindednesse and vnapt●…esse to pray to heare the word and ●…o keepe the sabboth what else is the reason of it why those that haue bee me forward and zealous professours in former times haue lost their light and are fallen from their place I say what is the reason of it when they were sometime servent in spirit serving the Lord That fire was not kept aliue with the fuell of prayer and when they declined from that pitch from that degree of faith which they had obtained you shall finde it commonly to arise from remisnesse in this duty therefore we say to such repent and amend and doe your first workes that is vse your former diligence renew that and that will renew grace and strength againe therefore take heede of being negligent and remisse in this duty We haue great cause to be incouraged to it for there is not a faithfull prayer that wee make shal be lost but they come vp into remembrance and therefore you must consider with your selues not onely what you doe for the present but what stock of prayers you haue layed vp you know a man may haue much in bils and bonds as well as in present money so there is a certaine stocke of prayer a certaine treasure layed vp that shall not be forgotten The husbandman lookes not onely vpon the graine that hee hath in his garner but he lookes vpon that which is sowne though it be out of his hands yea he reckons that the better of the two so those prayers that haue beene sowed it may be many yeares agoe are such as will bring in a sure increase therefore let vs be exhorted to be constant in this duty to be frequent therein to continue in it watching thereto with perseverance And now we haue dispatched this wee will come to answere some cases of conscience that fall out in the performance of this duty which are divers First this is one what shall a man iudge of his prayers when they are accompanied with wandring thoughts whether those prayers are such as God wholly refuseth or what he is to doe in such a case when he is subiect to wandring thoughts to vanity of minde and distemper in the performance of that duty To this I answere that wee must distinguish of the cause whence these wandring thoughts a rise Sometimetimes they arise not so much from our owne neglect as from weaknesse from temptation and in such a case God layes them not so much to our charge as for example one that aymes at a marke and doth his best to hit the marke yet if hee hath a hand or an arme that hath the palsey in it or if one iogg him while he is about it the fault was not so much in him it was not want of good will to doe it nor want of diligence but either it is his weaknesse or it is an impediment cast in by another so it is in this case this wandring of minde proceeds from a naturall infirmity and imbecillity that hangs vpon the nature of man which is not so able to keepe it selfe close to such a spirituall businesse and thy God considers for he is wise and kno●…es that we are but flesh When a weake servant goes about a businesse though hee doe it not so well as a stronger yet a man is wise to consider that the servant is but weake the Lord considers the naturall weaknesse that we are subiect vnto and he deales mercifully with vs in such a case for herein a man is as one that hath a bow in his hand but he hath a palsey arme and therefore he cannot keep it steddy though he haue a min●… to doe it But the other case is when he is iogged in his

is vsed in the Sacrament you shall celebrate the Sacrament that you may shew forth the Lords death so the Lord will haue vs come and call vpon his name to shew forth the duty of prayer and that we may shew forth his glory This is for the Lord himselfe Now for our selues we are to doe it partly that the graces of his spirit may bee increased in vs for prayer exerciseth our graces every grace is exercised in prayer and they being exercised are increased See an excellent place for this in Iude 20. That you beloved edifie your selues in the holy faith praying in the holy Ghost as if hee should say The way to edifie your selues and build vp your selues is to pray in the holy Ghost that is spirituall prayer made through the power and assistance and strength of the holy Ghost Every such prayer it builds vs vp it increaseth Every grace in vs faith and repentance and loue and obedience and feare all are increased by prayer Partly because they are exercised and set a worke in prayer for the very exercise increaseth them And partly also because prayer brings vs to Communion with God Now if good company increase grace how much more will Communion with the Lord himselfe quicken and increase it Moreouer this duty is required that we may be acquainted with God for there is a strangene betweene the Lord and vs when wee doe not call vpon his name It is the command which you sh●…l finde i●… Iob 22. 21. Acquaint thy selfe with the Lord 〈◊〉 th●… ma●…st haue peace with him and th●…u shalt haue prosperitie Now you know how acq●…intance growes amongst men it is by conversing together by speaking one to another On the other side wee say when that is broken off when they salute not when they speake not together a strangenes growe●… so it is in this when wee come to the Lord and are frequent and ●…ervent in this du●…y of calling vpon him we grow acquainted with him and without it wee grow strangers and the Lord dwells a●…arre off we are not able to behold him except we be accustomed to it and the more wee come into his presence the more we are acquainted vvith hi●… Therefore that is another reason why wee should vse this that wee may get acquaintance with the Lord. Likewise that vve may learne to be thankfull to him for those ●…ercies vve haue received from hi●… for if 〈◊〉 should bestow mercies vpon vs vna●…ked we vvould forget them his hand would not be acknowledged in them and vvee would not see his providence in disposing those blessings that vve doe enioy but vvhen vve come to aske every thing before him vve are then readie to see his hand more and to prize it more and vve are disposed to more thankefulnesse So that it is a ●…ure rule commonly vvhat vv●…e vvinne vvith prayer that vvee vve●…re vvith thankefulnesse and that vvhich vvee get vvithout praier vvee spend and vse without any lifting vp of the heart to God in praising him and acknowledging 〈◊〉 hand in b●…wing it vpon vs ●…o you see what 〈◊〉 duty is And Secondly why the Lord will haue this duty performed Novv thirdly in a vvord vvhat is it to pray continually The word in the originall signifieth such a performance of this duty that you doe not cease to doe it at such times as God requires it at your hands Compare this vvith that in 2. Tim. 1. 3. The Apostle saith there that hee hath him in continuall remembrance praying for him night and day vvhence the same vvord is vsed that is here Novv vve cannot thinke that the Apostle had Timot●…y in continuall remembrance that he vvas never out of his thought but the meaning is vvhen he did call vpon God from day to day he still remembred him So that to pray continually is to pray very much to pray at those times vvhen God requires vs to pray For it is the definition that Philosophers giue of idlenesse a man is then said to bee idle when hee doth not that which he●… ought in the time when it is required of him Hee is an idle man that workes not when hee ought to worke So hee is sayde not to pray continually that prayes not when hee ought to pray So that I conceive this to bee the meaning of the Apostle R●…ioyce ●…rmore sayth hee but when hee comes to this exhortation of prayer hee contents not himselfe to say pray very often but pray continually as wee vse 〈◊〉 expresse ourselues when wee would haue a thing frequently done wee say see that you be alwayes doing of this So the 〈◊〉 is to shew that it should be exceeding often and that it should be very much done Hence we gather this by the way that we are bound to keepe our constant course of calling vpon God at the least twise a day whatsoever we doe more But you will say what ground haue you for that why doe you instance in that twice a day The ground of it is this when the Apostle bids vs pray continually doe it exceeding much doe it very often the least we can doe it is twice a day we may doe it oftner but that I say is the least When wee haue such a command 〈◊〉 this when we haue such a precept as this Pray continually and this rule illustrated by such examples as we t●…ue in the scriptures why is it recorded if it be not true of euery example in that kind that is said of the generall example 1 Cor. 10. They are written for our learning when it is said that David prayed oft and Daniel expresly in the 6. Dan. 3. He prayed three times a day that was his constant course I say we may thinke we are bound to doe it at the least twice a day Consider a little the reason of it why we are bound to doe it In the Temple you know the Lord was worshipped twise a day there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacrifice What was the ground of that commandement●… there was no reason of it but that the Lord might be worshipped and that was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it done 〈◊〉 a day morning and evening but besides that it vvas not onely that the Lord might be vvorshipped wherein we should follow that example of worshipping him morning and evening But likewise our occasions are such that that is the least we can doe to call vpon him constantly morning and evening for there is no day but we vse many blessings and vve take many of his creatures Now vvee may not take any of them without his leaue so that thou art bound to aske for them before thou take them and pray for a blessing vpon them or else thou hast no right to them thou hast no lawfull vse of them that place is plaine 1. Tim. 4. Everie Creature of God is good and